Page 35 of Snowed in: With the Alien Tentacle Monster

"Valen?" Logan's voice was concerned. Through their connection, Valen could feel his mate's desire to help warring with uncertainty about whether to approach.

Valen shifted back to his physical form, and Logan crossed the room immediately, reaching for him. The simple touch of his mate's hand against his skin anchored him, helped him remember that he'd made the right choice.

"They're really gone," Valen said, his voice rougher than usual. "My mother, she..." He trailed off, struggling to explain the depth of what had passed between them in their energy forms. "She wanted me to know she understands. That she loves me, even though I can never go home again."

Logan's arms tightened around him, and Valen sensed his mate's complex mix of emotions: guilt at being the cause of this separation, fierce pride in Valen's choice, and underneath it all, a deep, steady love only for him.

It was worth every sacrifice.

"I'm sorry," Logan whispered against his skin. "I know how much you're giving up."

"No." Valen cupped Logan's face. "Don't apologize. I don't regret this." He pressed their foreheads together, letting Loganfeel the truth of his words through their bond. "My mother saw our bond, saw what my father tried to do, and she..." He took a shaky breath. "She blessed us, in her way. Gave us her permission to be free."

"I'm glad," Logan said.

"Me too." Valen guided Logan to the bed. "Let us rest for a moment."

They were both exhausted, from the psychic and the emotional battles they'd fought.

Valen looked out the window as he lay down, at the planet that was to be his new home.

It wasn't the ending he'd expected when he'd left home to meet his mate, but as he felt Logan's warmth against him, their bond humming with contentment despite their exhaustion, he knew it was the best thing he could possibly have found among the stars.

CHAPTER 11

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Logan's fingersfidgeted with the stack of paper in his hands as he watched Valen clear away their breakfast dishes. It still amazed him how quickly his alien mate had adapted to domestic tasks. Soon they'd be leaving the cabin, heading back to his life in the city, and everything would change again.

"I, uh, made you something," Logan said, his voice catching slightly. "For Christmas."

Valen turned. "But I don't have anything for you."

"It's okay. I want you to have this." Logan held out the stack of hand-made coupons, bound together with twine he'd found in a kitchen drawer. "They're... promises. For when we start our life in the city."

Valen drifted closer, tentacles reaching for the small booklet. His topaz eyes widened as he read the first coupon—he'd learned to read extremely fast. "'One guided tour of downtown, including your first coffee shop experience.'" He flipped to the next one. "Movie night at a real theater." His gaze met Logan's. "You made a list of things to show me?"

"Things I want to share with you," Logan admitted. "But also things you'll need to know, for when we..." He swallowed, excitement and anxiety mixing in his chest. "For our future together."

"It'll be amazing." Valen's joy lit up everything inside of Logan. "I can't wait to see your city. Tell me again what you do there."

"Well," Logan said, amused, "I work at the university library. It's quiet most days, helping students find research materials, organizing the collections." He smiled. "You'll love it there. Whole floors of books, old manuscripts, digital archives of human knowledge..."

"I love it already." His accent sounded more natural now. "And you live..."

"In an apartment not far from campus. Nothing fancy, but it has big windows and a small balcony." Logan's hand found one of Valen's tentacles, squeezing gently. "We'll need to be careful, of course. You'll need a human form when we're out in public."

Valen's grinned. "Maybe that can be my gift to you. I'll let you choose."

The eagerness in Valen's voice made Logan's chest warm. Here was this alien prince, willing to change his entire form just to fit into Logan's world. Just to be with him.

Valen turned on the TV. The morning news flickered to life, showing a polished anchor with perfect hair delivering headlines about winter storms.

Without hesitation, Valen shifted, and Logan found himself standing next to an exact copy of the newscaster.

"Too noticeable," Logan said quickly. "We don't want anyone recognizing you from TV."

Valen changed back to his natural form with a ripple of energy, already flipping to another channel. A cooking show, featuring a celebrity chef with spiky blonde hair and intenseexpressions. Another shift, and that man stood beside Logan instead.

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